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Incline High

03/09/2010, 2010 NADA Awards »»

03/09/2010, 2A All North Girls BB team - way to go Katie! »»

03/08/2010, Just Jean: Broadway coming to Incline High School »»

What fun to catch a Broadway play right here in Incline with our own local talent on display.

For the past few years the Incline High School has presented some of my all-time show favorites on the Incline High School theater stage —- “Oliver!,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Cinderella” and “Lost Horizon” — and each one has been a great chance to enjoy an evening at the theater Incline style.

This year Incline High School has selected the production “Grease.” The show opened on Broadway in 1972 and closed after 3,388 shows in 1980 continuing on to become a film as well as a favorite for community, high school and middle school drama groups. The original Broadway version set in 1959 was raunchy, raw, aggressive and even vulgar.

Incline High's much tamer version still features all of the favorite songs and an all star cast of IHS students in the familiar roles. If you have missed an IHS favorite, Jordan Cronin, in other productions, don't miss him this year as it is his last year on stage for Incline High. He will be appearing as Johnny Casino, the rock-star student of Rydell High and the Teen Angel in the song, “Beauty School Dropout.”

Other students appearing in Grease include: Miles Buergin as Danny Zuko; Erin Canino as Sandy and Matt Davis as Kenickie; Erika Wegener will play Rizzo and Taylor Smith as Frenchy with Justine Nelson and Dani Flores as the well-known Pink Ladies; Chloe Bolton plays Cha-cha, Madison Kwasny is Eugene, Chelsea Hollingsworth is Patty Simcox, Katherine Lange as Miss Lynch and Alec Flores as Vince Fontaine; Kevin Wegener, Laurence Jolley and Annamarie Mariliano round out the cast. Wait until you see the talent in this group.

High school students are also performing in the live band conducted by Terry Pittman and the play is directed by IHS English teacher Tom Canino.

To attend you have several opportunities as “Grease” runs nightly at 6 p.m. from Wednesday, March 17 through Saturday, March 20. Tickets are only $10 or $6 for students and can be purchased at either The Potlatch or the high school.

Don't miss the opportunity to see “Grease,” Incline style or hear songs like “Greased Lightening” and “Beauty School Dropout” as well as catch the dances choreographed by Mindy Wegener and Kelli Maiocco.

It is sure to be another special IHS production!

Jean Eick is community editor at the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza. She can be reached for comment at jeick@tahoebonanza.com.

03/07/2010, 2A All-North Boys BB: Dykstra's 44 leads Incline to state title »»

Incline's 26-3 record this past season was impressive, but its 9-1 mark against teams from larger classifications was perhaps even more significant.

The 2A Highlanders padded that record with wins over some of the lower-rung 4A and 3A teams, but they also beat Hug, a 4A playoff team, and 3A state champion Sparks.

Incline was able to do this because it possessed one of the deepest and most balanced teams in the North, regardless of school size. But there was another key.

"With Josh we lose that title of a 2A school," Highlanders coach Dan Schreiber said of center Josh Dykstra. "We can play with anybody. That's what he brings to the table.

"He raises that bar."

The bar was lifted to its ultimate peak when Incline ended a 20-year title drought with its state championship victory last week. Leading the way was Dykstra, who had 44 points combined in the semifinals and finals.

"Starting in the summer, we decided we wanted to go all the way," said Dykstra, who has been named the RGJ's All-North 2A Player of the Year.

To that end, Dykstra made a conscious effort to take on less of the scoring load this year after watching how balanced Needles was a year ago en route to its state title. Needles beat Incline in the 2009 state semifinals.

"My scoring went down but my assists went up and the wins went up," said Dykstra, who averaged 15.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game this past season. "Having so many shooters helped so much."

So as Schreiber put it, Dykstra was creating problems for the defense without even shooting -- a feat more reserved for point guards, not centers.

"He gives teams lots of problems," Schreiber said."He's the complete package."

Dykstra, born in Costa Rica, certainly appears to fit that description. He's an honors student who's applied to such universities as Stanford, UCLA and USC among others. And often he takes a cerebral approach to basketball.

"I was thinking about it and only four boys teams in Nevada get to win a championship," Dykstra said. "So if there's about 100 teams, that's only 40 guys out of 1,000 who played this year. That puts what we did in perspective."

RGJ All-North 2A team

Guard: Michael Ceragioli, Incline
Guard: Sam Witt, Incline
Guard: Michael McDonald, Silver Stage
Forward: Clarence Loftin, ROP
Center: Josh Dykstra, Incline*
6th man: Michael Lake, Battle Mountain

*Player of the Year

03/04/2010, Incline's ‘We the People' class looks for financial help to get to national finals »»

Seventeen Incline “We the People” students are headed to the nation's capital this spring to represent the State of Nevada at the nation's foremost scholastic constitutional debate competition.

That is, if they can get some financial help from the community first.

The cost of sending the AP government students to the “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” national finals in April in Washington, D.C., is about $1,500 per student, with extra costs built to accommodate coaches and chaperones, said teacher Milton Hyams.

“(Community) donations achieve two goals: It helps the students finance the trip; more importantly, it demonstrates our community support of their effort to become more knowledgeable and involved citizens,” said Hyams.

Hyams has identified the fundraising goal of $30,000, with students able to raise $12,000 as of Thursday.

“The money goes to hotel rooms, meals and transportation coordination,” Hyams said.

Students have advocated the class by visiting community organizations recently such as the Incline Village/Crystal Bay Republican Women and the Rotary Club of Tahoe-Incline, where they perform simulations of the debate competition.

“There is no better investment than in active young citizens,” Hyams said. “These 17 individuals are some of the most thoughtful, engaged and competent young people who will rightfully represent the Incline Village community in Washington.”

The students airfare is paid for as part of the Education for Democracy Act as a way to reduce any unfairness regarding geographical location. In other words, students from Alaska and Hawaii will not be punished with higher airfare due to their distant proximity from Washington, D.C.

Through the congressional allocations, students are provided a $100 stipend to pay for necessities while in the capital.

Hyams said the trip not only affords the students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of American government and the U.S. Constitution at the prestigious event, but the young persons will take in some of the culturally significant sites to be found in Washington, D.C.

“We'll be in Washington from April 21 to April 27, and we have a full schedule during that time,” Hyams said. “We plan on meeting with the full Nevada congressional delegation including Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. John Ensign and Rep. Dean Heller. We'll tour the national mall, visit the Smithsonian and the Supreme Court as well as visiting other museums.”

Residents or organizations interested in donating can send a check made out to Incline High School, attention of “We the People.” If you have questions, please contact teacher Milt Hyams, at mhyams@washoe.k12.nv.us or call the high school at 775.832-4260.

For information regarding all aspects of the “We the People” program, visit www.civiced.org.

03/03/2010, Experience College Life »»

03/03/2010, Pair of Incline female ski racers qualify for J2 Nationals »»

As the Winter Olympics were wrapping up, so was the journey to the J2 National Championships “Junior 2 Olympics” for two standout Alpine ski racers from Incline Village.

What began with Western Region Elite FIS (Federation of International Skiing) qualifying races in January and February concluded with first-year J2 Lila Lapanja of the Diamond Peak Ski Team and veteran J2 Kelsey Higgins, who skis for the Squaw Valley Ski Team, arriving in Sugarloaf, Maine, to compete against some of the best J2 racers in the country, March 3-9.

Only 15 female racers and 21 male racers from the Western Region (comprised of eight Western states) qualified for this showcase event, which is designed to focus development efforts on the top 15- and 16-year-olds from the United States. The Western Region Team will compete against the elite teams from the country's two other divisions — Eastern and Rocky/Central — in all four disciplines: downhill, slalom, giant slalom and super-G.

Downhill and super-G qualifying races were held at Mammoth Mountain from January 26-31 and the giant slalom and slalom qualifiers took place at Snow King resort in Wyoming, Feb. 4-7. Two races of each discipline are contested and the best result of the two races are designated “Old World Cup” points down through the top 15 finishes for all the J2 racers (first place garners 25 points, second earns 20 points, third gets 15 points, etc.). These results are then weighed on a “board” that includes the racers' USSA (United States Ski Association) overall race-point rankings combined with their race placement points, and the selections are made.

Higgins' best result at Mammoth included a J2 third place (sixth overall) in the first downhill, while Lapanja came through with a second-place finish for the J2s (fourth overall) in the second downhill race.

In the technical events at Snow King, Lapanja got the job done with a J2 fourth (13th overall) in slalom and seventh (17th) in giant slalom. Higgins secured her points with a J2, 10th-place finish (28th overall) in the slalom. Complete, official race results can be seen at www.fwskiing.org; click on “competition,” “results,” “Mid-J2.”

— The J2 National races can be watched in real time on www.Live-Timing.com, and official results can be seen at www.fis-ski.com.

The teams

Tahoe-area Far West racers who were named to the J2 National Western Region Team in addition to Kelsey Higgins and Lila Lapanja include the following athletes:

Girls

Foreste Peterson, Sugar Bowl Ski Team
Lena Andrews, North Shore Ski Racing
Tenaya Driller, Squaw Valley Ski Team
Melissa Daniels, Squaw Valley Ski Team

Boys

Troy Cohee, Sugar Bowl Ski Team
Scott Cooper, Sugar Bowl Ski Team
Kenny Wilson, Squaw Valley Ski Team
Thomas Robles, Squaw Valley Ski Team
Forrest Ferguson, Squaw Valley Ski Team

03/03/2010, Girls Softball Fundraiser »»

03/03/2010, 13 Ways to Get Your Money's Worth Out of College »»

For some, it costs about as much as a Lexus. Every year. For others, about as much as a Honda Fit. And some will get change from a $5,000 bill. It's college and, whatever way you slice it, it's very expensive (doesn't help that it's been going up at twice the rate of inflation for the last ten years). But cheer up. We've got 13 tips for you about how to get your money's worth out of college. So, even if you're laying out big bucks, at least you'll get big bang for your buck. Here's how:

1. Take the choice courses, not the leftovers. Always register for classes at the earliest possible date so you can select the courses you want, not get stuck with the dregs after every one else has registered. For first-year students, this means getting to the earliest orientation sessions, often held in (gasp) June - that's often the time when new students pick their courses. But even later on, primo courses are available provided you pick off-peak times.

2. Get out of the herd. Unlike the wildebeest, your safety is not in numbers. The best learning does not take place in large lecture courses but in smaller classes, which still can be found, even at mega-universities - if you look carefully enough. Whenever you have a choice, size down. And when there's a choice of a professor or TA - well, wouldn't it be better to pick someone who has thought about the material for many years?

3. Make it to all your classes. Some students think about their classes like fat cats with season's tickets. They'll get to a few big games, miss the snoozers, no worries. But what if you were paying by the class? Say $100 or $200 a throw? Would you be so quick to cut? You do the math. You may be astonished at how much you've prepaid for each lecture - money that goes down the tube when you decide not to show.

4. Use the facilities. No, not those facilities (we know you'll use them). We're thinking about the recreational and academic services you paid for as part of your student fees. Olympic-sized swimming pools, Apple-endowed computer labs - not to mention the free tutoring service, writing center, and math lab. And, if you're not feeling up to par, or college isn't turning out to be quite as happy as you expected, be sure to check out the university health service or counseling center. You've already paid for them, too.

5. Think about flying the coop. At many schools first-year students are required to live in the dorms. But after that, you're on your own. Consider living off-campus in an apartment or a cooperative living arrangement. You can often save bundles on food (at many colleges the food-service is overpriced and is used as a means to subvent other campus programs). And hey, you might enjoy playing Rachael Ray, not to mention doing dishes once a month.

6. Learn a skill for life. Once you know your major, be on the lookout for courses that will give you the skills to get ahead in your chosen career (even if such courses are not required for the major). Learning Chinese or Arabic could be a big selling point for a business major wanting to work for Walmart or Procter & Gamble - or the C.I.A. or Homeland Security. A course in critical reasoning or logic could pay off for a wannabe lawyer- or a course in statistics for someone going into the health care profession.

7. Keep entering the lottery. Many students (and parents) think that the financial aid package you get when you enter college is the end of the matter. But once you're at college, there may be a number of opportunities to compete for and get various hidden scholarships. Many donors give piles of money to specific departments for the support of their majors (at Princeton, for example, there is an overflow of money in ancient Greek language and civilization). Often these scholarships are handed out on the basis of merit, so if you're doing well, take full advantage of them.

8. Hit up your uncle. Uncle Sam, that is. To some degree, the pain of out-of-control tuition increases has been lessened by a slew of recently-introduced tax advantages, including the Hope credit, the lifetime learning credit, the student loan interest deduction, and the tuition and fees deduction. Very good information about all of these (including family-income caps and other requirements) is available at Sallie Mae's Web page www.collegeanswer.com/paying/content/pay_tax_benefits.jsp and the IRS' own Tax Breaks for Education: Information Center at www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=213044,00.html . Gluttons for punishment can read the entire 99 page IRS publication at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf.

9. Max out your credit. College is one of the few places where it makes sense to take out as much credit as you can. Federally-guaranteed student loans often have no interest payments while you're a student, so whatever money you have left over after paying for tuition and books (and pizza and beverages) you can invest in a five- year CD earning a tidy return. (Check out www.bestcashcow.com or www.bankrate.com for details.) And even when payoff time for the student loan comes (and you're making that six-figure salary), the interest is tax-deductible.

10. Collaborate with a professor. In many fields, there are real possibilities to work in tandem with a professor -- could involve co-authoring scholarly papers, presenting joint papers (or posters) at conferences, or interning with a professor. Many colleges are now putting big bucks into supporting these activities: You could end up with a stipend for research costs and travel. And, in the very best case, you'll join the professor's network of professional contacts, giving you a big leg up come looking-for-jobs time. Sweet.

11. Travel on their dime. Wanna see the world? Consider the study abroad program. Many colleges have special scholarships or stipends to enable students to do research abroad or to take courses at "sister" universities. This can be a wonderful opportunity to improve your language skills, do research in countries where the materials you're studying actually exist, and take courses at colleges where they specialize in what you're interested in.

4-Star Tip. Make sure you have a valid academic reason for wanting to study abroad. Hoping to find an Estonian bride, or groom, won't cut it at most colleges.

12. Join the workforce. At many colleges, there are special work-study jobs to be had. Some of these - like being a museum guard or the checkout person at the college library - have long periods of down time, when you can do your homework at the college's expense. And you'll make friends with other student-workers, not to mention making goodwill with your parents (who'll be happy that you're bringing in a few bucks).

13. Plan to finish on time. Though the average student now takes five or six years to finish college, it's almost always possible to finish in four. In many cases, it can be financially advantageous to do so. You'll surely save money if your school charges by the semester (rather than by the credit hour). And some schools even offer special discount rates, and promise never to raise the rates, if you sign onto a four-year-to-degree (sometimes called the eight-semester) plan.

5-Star Tip. If you're short one or two courses, "buy" them at summer school , at a nearby community college, or even (in some cases) at an online university. It'll be much cheaper, and you won't have to sign up for a whole new semester.

03/02/2010, Counselors Corner »»

03/01/2010, Congratulations Boys BB - State Champs! (photos) »»

02/28/2010, Good Luck Erin Canino - SnowFest queen candidate »»

SnowFest Queen Coronation

Come see the Crowning of this year’s Queen in person! Girls go against each other in the following categories: ticket sales, community involvement & interview, extracurricular activities, essay, and GPA! Proceeds to benefit numerous Non-profit organizations which sponsor each candidate.

Squaw Valley Base Area on the Large KT-22 Deck
March 5, 6 p.m.

Roxana Cabrera
North Tahoe High School
Sponsor: ARC
Roxana has been involved in many activities including ARC, varsity track, soccer, the Mariposa Club, where she was vice president, Cops & Coffee, Youth in Action and Creciendo Unidos Creating Alternatives. She also has volunteered for Mexican Independence Day and Truckee River Day.

Erin Canino
Senior, Incline High School
Sponsor: American Red Cross
Erin has been president of the National Honor Society, captain of the varsity soccer team; co-editor of yearbook; 1st trumpet and French horn for Jazz and Concert bands; was co-captain of the Academic Olympic Team and winner of the Rotary Speech contest.

Kelsea Dunn
Senior, North Tahoe High School
Sponsor: Rotary Club of Tahoe City
Kelsea is a member of the Golf team, where she is captain, and participates in Drama Club, Interact, Youth in Action, S.T.O.P., THEO, the Economics and Leadership Camp at UCLA and was Freshman Class President. She has volunteered for the Children’s Hospital Miracle Network, along with aiding in local coat and food drives.

Kea Jolicoeur
Senior, North Tahoe High School
Sponsor: AAUW-North Tahoe
Throughout her high school career, Kea has been involved with soccer, basketball, track, Academic Team, Symphonic Band, Inter Act Club and Youth in Action, among her many activities. She served as captain of the soccer, track and basketball teams. She also received the Gold Award for Flute Trio and was named Best Soloist at the Reno Jazz Festival.

Keely Marple
Senior, North Tahoe High School
Sponsor: North Tahoe Booster Club
She is active in sports, having played on the volleyball, basketball and track teams from 2007 to the present, including serving as captain of the volleyball team. She received the Coach’s Award in 2008 and 2007 and was named Most Valuable Sprinter in 2008 for track. She also is a member of the Hip Hop Dance team for the last four years and has performed with InnerRhythms Dance Theater and Tahoe Dance School.

Sierra Stevens
Senior, North Tahoe High School
Sponsor: Rideout Community Center, TCPUD
Sierra has been a member of the volleyball team since 2007 and participated in a school trip to London during her junior year.

For more SnowFest information

02/28/2010, Team effort propels Incline to championship »»

Josh Dykstra spoke about his Incline boys basketball team’s body of work after the Highlanders qualified for the 2A state championship game.

But Incline’s body of work was still incomplete at that point. It is entire now.

The Highlanders used a balanced, team effort to fend off the relentless attack of Dantley Walker and Lincoln County, and captured the state title with a 71-64 victory Saturday night at Lawlor Events Center.

“Dantley Walker is a great, great basketball player,” Incline coach Dan Schreiber told his team in the locker room after Walker further etched his name in the state record book with a 41-point night. “But you guys are the best team.”

Dykstra had 19 points, Micha Corneil added 18 and Sam Witt finished with 14 as the Highlanders broke through, winning the program’s first state championship since 1990 and the first in boys basketball for a Lake Tahoe school in 18 years.

“It’s been a while, it’s definitely been a while,” the senior Dykstra said. “There were times I wasn’t sure we were ever going to be here. But we did it.”

Despite not having a deep rotation, Incline was able to get it done with help in different areas from just about everyone.

Patrick Howe grabbed nine rebounds. Corneil had six assist and along with Witt came up with three steals.

Michael Ceragioli started a run of three straight three-point possessions that ballooned Incline’s lead to 14 with less than 6 minutes to play.

Rhett Davis provided more than a handful of minutes of tough defense against Walker in the first half.

“You can’t speak enough about stuff like that, everyone pitching in,” said Schreiber — who had won eight league title and been to state five times before this season, including the past two, but had not won a state championship in his 15 years at Incline. “That’s how you win it all. It’s been a quality program. We just couldn’t get over that hurdle.”

Even a group of female students formed a makeshift cheer squad behind the Highlanders’ bench for a school that doesn’t have such a team or a band.

Walker did his best to keep Incline from getting that long-sought championship trophy.

Incline was, for the most part, able to keep the junior from getting open 3-point attempts and he went 2-of-14 from long range. But Walker got into the lane, as he made 12-of-29 field goals, and to the free throw line, where he went 15-of-17.

After breaking his own single-game scoring record for the 2A state tournament in Friday’s semifinals, Walker added his name in a couple other spots in the record book.

His two-game total of 84 points easily eclipsed the 68 Virgin Valley’s Danny Brotherton scored in three games in 2005; the 15 free throws he made against Incline broke his own tournament record from 2008; and his two-game total of 27 free throws made also blew away the 13 Jack Burnett of The Meadows made in 2004.

“Watching him from the stands (Friday), I wasn’t sure how good a player he really was because ROP isn’t that great of a defensive team and we play pretty good defense,” Witt said. “But he earned a lot of respect from me. He’s a hell of a player. He’s great at getting in the lane and controlling his body, and creating shots for himself. And he’s so calm, no matter how many baskets he makes. He’s definitely the best player I’ve ever played against.”

But Lincoln County, which averaged 79 points per game prior to Saturday, shot just 38 percent from the field and was held to its sixth-lowest total of the season. Outside of Walker and center Eric Rippetoe, who had 17 points, the rest of the Lynx tallied just six points.

“We knew Walker was going to do his thing,” Schreiber said. “But we had a game plan for everyone else and we stuck to it and it all worked out.”

INCLINE 71, LINCOLN COUNTY 64
Lincoln Co. 9 19 14 22 -- 64
Incline 17 14 19 21 -- 71
LINCOLN COUNTY
Condie 2 0-0 4, Wadsworth 0 2-4 2, Avery 0 0-2 0, Walker 12 15-17 41, Rippetoe 6 3-4 17. Totals 20 20-27 64. 3-pointers: Walker 2, Rippetoe 2. Total fouls: 12. Technicals: coach Wood.
INCLINE
Ceragioli 3 0-0 7, Mi. Corneil 6 4-6 18, Davis 1 0-0 3, Murray 1 0-0 2, Witt 6 0-1 14, Howe 1 6-8 8, Dykstra 8 3-3 19. Totals: 26 13-18 71. 3-pointers: Mi. Corneil 2, Witt 2, Ceragioli 1, Davis 1. Total fouls: 19. Fouled out: Mi. Corneil.

02/27/2010, Incline progresses to finals (photos) »»

photos

INCLINE 70, NEEDLES 60

Michael Ceragioli is almost always the smallest guy on the court. Recently, it's become increasingly clear that the Incline senior's value is inverse to his size.

Ceragioli further proved that Friday afternoon.

After the Highlanders had their 14-point halftime lead trimmed to two with Ceragioli on the bench in foul trouble, the 5-foot-7 point guard calmed his teammates and righted the ship, leading Incline to a 71-60 victory over Needles in a boys 2A state semifinal at Lawlor Events Center.

Incline went on an immediate 12-5 run upon Ceragioli's return, and he hit a pair of 3-pointers 1 minute, 10 seconds apart in the fourth quarter to seal Incline's first trip to a state championship since it won the 2A title in 1990.

The Highlanders will play Lincoln County at 8:20 p.m. today at Lawlor.

"All the guys are pretty nervous without him on the floor," forward Josh Dykstra, who had 25 points, said of Ceragioli. "You can obviously tell he's really key to our team."

Ceragioli didn't start the second half because he had three fouls. He missed nearly all of last week's regional semifinal against Silver Stage and the entire final the next day after suffering a concussion.

"Our intensity went down to start that third quarter," Ceragioli said after scoring 12 points. "I made the conscious decision that when I came back in I was going to bring our intensity back up. So I tried to get the guys fired up a little bit and calm them down at the same time."

The win ended a two-year run of Incline being knocked out in the semifinals.

"We've talked about this since they were freshman," Incline coach Dan Schreiber said. "We want to win our last game. They're sitting 32 minutes away from it."

LINCOLN COUNTY 100, ROP 83

Dantley Walker shot the Lynx into the state championship game and the records books.

The junior Walker hit seven 3-pointers and had 43 points, breaking his own 2A state tournament record. Walker had 36 points as a freshman in 2008, also against the Rams. Lincoln County also matched the 2A tournament record on 11 3-pointers, as senior center Eric Rippetoe connected from long range four times and had 35 points.

"We knew what he was capable of and we didn't stop him," ROP coach Michael Keats said of Walker, who had 29 points at halftime and tallied 22 of the Lynx's 36 points in the second quarter.

Clarence Loftin and Tyron Smith each had 16 points for ROP, which cut a 17-point halftime deficit to eight at the start of the fourth quarter but was outscored, 26-17, in the final period.

02/26/2010, Academy Information Day »»

02/24/2010, Updated w/Scores! 2010 State BB Tourney »»

The 2010 NIAA all-classes Nevada State High School Basketball Championships, presented by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Farmers Insurance Group, have been scheduled as follows (you can listen and/or watch www.sportsfrequency.com)

Thursday, February 25 @ Lawlor Events Center, UNR

3:00 p.m., 4A Girls Semifinal – Liberty (#1 Sunrise) vs. Reed (#2 Northern)
- REED RAIDERS (#2 Northern) def. LIBERTY PATRIOTS (#1 Sunrise), 69-53
4:40 p.m., 4A Boys Semifinal – Canyon Springs (#1 SR) vs. McQueen (#2 NR)
- CANYON SPRINGS (#1 Sunrise) def. McQUEEN (#2 Northern), 63-46
6:20 p.m., 4A Girls Semifinal – Reno-H (#1 Northern) vs. Bishop Gorman (#1 Sunset)
- BISHOP GORMAN (#1 Sunset) def. RENO (#1 Northern), 61-40
8:00 p.m., 4A Boys Semifinal– Bishop Manogue-H (#1 NR) vs. Bishop Gorman (#1 SS)
- BISHOP GORMAN (#1 Sunset) def. BISHOP MANOGUE (#1 Northern), 65-52

Friday, February 26 @ Lawlor Events Center, UNR

11:00 a.m., 2A Girls State Semifinal – Lincoln County (#1 S) v. Battle Mountain (#2 N)
- BATTLE MOUNTAIN (#2 Northern) def. LINCOLN COUNTY (#1 Southern), 50-43
12:55 p.m., 2A Boys State Semifinal – Lincoln County (#1 S) vs. Rite of Passage (#2 N)
- LINCOLN COUNTY (#1 Southern) def. RITE OF PASSAGE (#2 Northern), 100-83
2:20 p.m., 2A Girls State Semifinal – Pershing County (#1 N) vs. Needles (#2 S)
- PERSHING COUNTY (#1 Northern) def. NEEDLES (#2 Southern), 70-61
4:15 p.m., 2A Boys State Semifinal – Incline (#1 N) vs. Needles (#2 S)
- INCLINE (#1 Northern) def. NEEDLES (#2 Southern), 71-60
6:00 p.m., Class 4A Girls State Championship – Semifinal Winners
- BISHOP GORMAN (#1 Sunset) def. REED (#2 Northern), 82-59
8:00 p.m., Class 4A Boys State Championship – Semifinal Winners
- BISHOP GORMAN (#1 Sunset) def. CANYON SPRINGS (#1 Sunrise), 69-48

Friday, February 26 – 1A @ North Valleys H.S., Reno & 3A @ Damonte Ranch H.S.

3:00 p.m., 1A Girls Semifinal – Pahranagat Valley (#1 S) vs. McDermitt (#2 N)
- McDERMITT (#2 Northern) def. PAHRANAGAT VALLEY (#1 Southern), 41-30
4:40 p.m., 1A Boys Semifinal – Lake Mead (#1 S) vs. Smith Valley (#2 N)
- LAKE MEAD (#1 Southern) def. SMITH VALLEY (#1 Northern), 79-55
6:20 p.m., 1A Girls Semifinal – Virginia City (#1 N) vs. Lake Mead (#2 S)
- VIRGINIA CITY (#1 Northern) def. LAKE MEAD (#2 Southern), 49-36
8:00 p.m., 1A Boys Semifinal – Mineral County (#1 N) vs. Pahranagat Valley (#2 S)
- PAHRANAGAT VALLEY (#2 Southern) def. MINERAL COUNTY (#1 Northern), 62-59 2OT
3:00 p.m., 3A Girls Semifinal – Virgin Valley (#1 S) vs. Lowry (#2 N)
- LOWRY (#2 Northern) def. VIRGIN VALLEY (#1 Southern), 60-36
4:40 p.m., 3A Boys Semifinal – Virgin Valley (#1 S) vs. Lowry (#2 N)
- LOWRY (#2 Northern) def. VIRGIN VALLEY (#1 Southern), 79-74
6:20 p.m., 3A Girls Semifinal – Spring Creek (#1 N) vs. Truckee (#3 N)
- SPRING CREEK (#1 Northern) def. TRUCKEE (#3 Northern), 45-36
8:00 p.m., 3A Boys Semifinal – Sparks (#1 N) vs. Yerington (#3 N)
- SPARKS (#1 Northern) def. YERINGTON (#3 Northern), 73-71 OT

Saturday, February 27 @ Lawlor Events Center, UNR

12:00 p.m., Class 3A Girls State Championship
- Lowry 35, Spring Creek 34 in OT
1:40 p.m., Class 3A Boys State Championship
- Sparks 53, Lowry 50 in OT
3:20 p.m., Class 1A Girls State Championship
- Virginia City 49, McDermitt 28
5:00 p.m., Class 1A Boys State Championship
- Pahranagat Valley 63, Lake Mead 53
6:40 p.m., Class 2A Girls State Championship
- Battle Mountain 52, Pershing County 49
8:20 p.m., Class 2A Boys State Championship
- Incline 71, Lincoln County 64

For more information: NIAA.com

02/24/2010, Grace Dolan #1 at State Skiing Championships »»

02/21/2010, Weekly Bulletin amp; more! »»

02/21/2010, State skiing: Incline's Dolan wins slalom championship UPDATE »»

On top of the nerves, Reed junior Jessie Eiting felt the pressure, too.

Eiting knew what her expectations were. Last year, she won the slalom individual title, and overall she has three state championships under her belt.

Eiting had a good showing on both runs at the 4A state finals at Mount Rose on Saturday, but the top honors went to Grace Dolan. The sophomore from Incline finished with times of 32.57 and 37.33 for a total of 69.9 and won the individual title.

Eiting came in second with a total time of 70.21.

"I have a lot of respect for her and her skiing," Eiting said of Dolan. "The second run was not as good. I had a tough time on the knoll, but I can't complain. Everyone had a tough race."

Both runs -- each featured two hairpin combinations and a flush -- were challenging, but the difficulty level increased for the second run.

In the morning, the conditions were ideal for racing. The sun was out and the snow was firm. For the afternoon run, the clouds came in, the wind picked up and it snowed lightly. The conditions made the light flat, causing lower visibility.

Despite that, Reno's Nicole DeAngeli had a better second run and finished third.

"It was hard to see the ground and the bumps," DeAngeli said. "I tried not to let the outside conditions affect me."

On the boys side, a pair from Whittell led the pack. Simon Nickles and Austin Norton represented the Warriors well in their first trip to the state meet. Nickles edged his teammate with times of 32.19 and 30.94 for a total of 63.13 to take the top individual honors. Norton had times of 32.3 and 31.01 for a total of 63.31. Damonte Ranch's Thomas Beatty had two solid runs (64.25) to finish third.

"The course was challenging," Beatty said. "And I knew there would be some tough competition from the Tahoe schools."

The skiers from the Tahoe-area schools were definitely the ones to beat. South Tahoe's five scoring skiers -- Luca Genasci, Michael Suglian, Justin Smaine, Erich Bauman and Pierce Bickert -- finished in the top 10 and took the team title with 465 points. The skiers in the Tahoe Independent League had 455 points and Whittell came in third with 419.

Dolan led the Tahoe Independent League to a girls team title. North Tahoe's Kelsey Wittles and Whittell's Whitney Gardner also played a big role by finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

South Tahoe finished 39 points behind Tahoe Independent with 426 points and Truckee finished third with 418 points.

Slalom results

Girls
1. Grace Dolan (Inc) 69.9
2. Jessie Eiting (HD Ind) 70.21
3. Nicole DeAngeli (Reno) 71.23
Boys
1. Simon Nickles (Whit) 63.13
2. Austin Norton (Whit) 63.31
3. Tomas Beatty (HD Ind) 64.25

State skiing: South Tahoe wins third consecutive boys championship

Skiers were greeted with fresh powder and high winds at Mount Rose on Sunday for the second day of the 4A state meet -- not the kind of conditions that are ideal for giant slalom racing.

The weather, along with timing clock issues, pushed back the start time about two hours. That made it impossible to have two runs, so skiers had just one shot to make it to the podium.

Despite the obstacles, the South Tahoe boys team remained dominant. As a team in the giant slalom competition, the Vikings finished first, the same place they finished in the slalom event. With Sunday's performance, South Tahoe won its third consecutive boys combined state championship with a total of 918 points. Whittell came in second with 820 points.

"Our depth is what makes any shot at a state title possible," South Tahoe coach Mike Shreve said. "The visibility was low, but I told them everybody had to ski under the same conditions. We skied consistent today."

The Vikings' five scoring skiers finished in the top 15 with Justin Smaine coming in with the fastest time (32.78) for the Vikings.

Individually, Whittell sophomore Simon Nickles had another strong showing and followed up Saturday's first-place performance in the slalom event with other top finish. He had a time of 31.79.

"I didn't expect to win the GS but I had better visibility than some of the other guys," Nickles said. "I just knew I had nothing to lose."

Nickles took the combined individual title for the boys.

Girls

In an unusual twist on the girls' side, there was a four-way tie at the top. Kelsey Wittles, Nicole DeAngeli, Jessie Eiting and Grace Dolan all shared top honors for the girls combined individual title. They each had 197 points.

For the day, though, it was Wittles who had the best time.

"I got really lucky and had a great start time," said Wittles, who had a time of 30.98. "The snow stopped for my run and I was pumped."

Saturday's slalom winner, Dolan, finished fourth, while DeAngeli and Eiting finished second and third, respectively.

On top of winning medals in the slalom and giant slalom, DeAngeli helped Reno to the giant slalom team title as well as the girls combined title with 856 points. Second-place Truckee finished with 849 points.

02/21/2010, Northern 2A boys: Incline's new tricks down ROP w/photos »»

02/20/2010, State wrestling update with results »»

02/20/2010, BB playoff update with state info »»

02/18/2010, Teens can learn about college majors, careers »»

02/14/2010, IHS Wrestlers go to State »»

2010 1A/2A Regional Tournament
Lovelock, NV
2/12-2/13/2010

    1   257.00 Battle Mountain
    2   191.00 Pershing County
    3   150.50 Rite Of Passage
    4   146.00 Incline
    5    77.00 Eureka
    6    48.00 Silver Stage
    7    46.00 Wells
    8    26.00 Carlin
    9    23.00 Owyhee

Winners by weight class:

Class 2A
The top four (4) placers out of the Southern League championship meet and the top four (4) placers out of the Northern League championship meet qualify for the eight-person state championship meet.

The championship half of the bracket will be single-elimination while the consolation half of the bracket will be double-elimination through fourth place.

Weight: 103
1st: Brice Gorsline, Pershing County     3- 0
2nd: Mike Wegener, Incline     2- 1
3rd: Osvaldo Hernandez, Incline     2- 1
4th: Israel Hernandez, Owyhee     1- 2
5th: Garrett Snellings, Battle Mountain     1- 2
6th: Denise Noell, Silver Stage     0- 3

Weight: 112
1st: Chris Whisler, Battle Mountain     2- 0
2nd: Cody Feliciano, Incline     1- 1
3rd: Rico Burquez, Rite Of Passage     2- 1
4th: Mason Burkhart, Battle Mountain     1- 2
5th: Gustavo Felix, Rite Of Passage     0- 2

Weight: 119
1st: Tyler Sparks, Battle Mountain     2- 0
2nd: Jesus Hernandez, Incline     1- 1
3rd: Cody Craspay, Pershing County     2- 1
4th: Justin Ochoa, Rite Of Passage     1- 2
5th: Brandon Montano, Rite Of Passage     0- 2

Weight: 125
1st: Ryan Thompson, Battle Mountain     3- 0
2nd: Travis Causey, Incline     2- 1
3rd: Ivan Kelley, Wells     2- 1
4th: Josh Blunt, Rite Of Passage     1- 2
5th: David Alfaro, Rite Of Passage     1- 2
6th: Saxon Harding, Battle Mountain     0- 3

Weight: 130
1st: Seth Garrett, Wells     2- 0
2nd: Moises Navarro, Incline     1- 1
3rd: Jace Ragland, Battle Mountain     1- 1
4th: David Luna, Pershing County     0- 2

Weight: 135
1st: Joe Andre, Battle Mountain     3- 0
2nd: Sean Fox, Incline     2- 1
3rd: Jacob Esquivel, Rite Of Passage     2- 1
4th: George Mayberry, Battle Mountain     2- 2
5th: Clayton Randolf, Pershing County     2- 2
6th: Ty Pendleton, Silver Stage     0- 3

Weight: 140
1st: Jared Jensen, Pershing County     3- 0
2nd: Kody Combs, Silver Stage     2- 1
3rd: Derek Tanner, Battle Mountain     2- 1
4th: Jimmy Markman, Incline     1- 2
5th: Juan Bucio, Rite Of Passage     1- 2
6th: J.D. Witcher, Carlin     0- 3

Weight: 145
1st: Kasey Jones, Battle Mountain     3- 0
2nd: Jesse Williamson, Pershing County     2- 1
3rd: Dave Perez, Wells     2- 1
4th: Devin Barton, Battle Mountain     1- 2
5th: Garrett Browning, Carlin     2- 2
6th: Chase Krumme, Rite Of Passage     1- 3

Weight: 152
1st: Justin Vialpando, Rite Of Passage     2- 0
2nd: Hank Filippini, Battle Mountain     2- 1
3rd: Trevor Gurley, Pershing County     3- 1
4th: Johnny Lopez, Rite Of Passage     2- 2
5th: Mike Demele, Eureka     2- 2
6th: Brian Knight, Carlin     0- 3

Weight: 160
1st: Desra Humphrey, Rite Of Passage     3- 0
2nd: Chase Clinghan, Pershing County     2- 1
3rd: Jesse Andre, Battle Mountain     3- 1
4th: Cortland Hone, Carlin     1- 2
5th: Levi House, Silver Stage     1- 2
6th: Matt Rufener, Pershing County     1- 3

Weight: 171
1st: Clayton Souza, Eureka     3- 0
2nd: Dillan Wanner, Pershing County     2- 1
3rd: Chris Johnson, Battle Mountain     3- 1
4th: Jerry Davis, Rite Of Passage     2- 2
5th: Tommy Annese, Incline     1- 2
6th: Malachi McLain, Owyhee     0- 3

Weight: 189
1st: Jack Ashcraft, Eureka     3- 0
2nd: Nick Holley, Battle Mountain     1- 1
3rd: Justin Hultenschmidt, Pershing County     3- 1
4th: Gabriel Gomez, Rite Of Passage     2- 2
5th: Martin Thomas, Owyhee     2- 2
6th: Daniel Heth, Silver Stage     0- 3

Weight: 215
1st: Jordan Cronin, Incline     2- 0
2nd: Justin Cordova, Battle Mountain     1- 1
3rd: Dakota Howell, Silver Stage     1- 1
4th: Elijah Flores, Rite Of Passage     0- 2

Weight: 275
1st: Lucas Diarte, Pershing County     2- 0
2nd: Curtis Craw, Eureka     1- 1
3rd: Logan Clark, Battle Mountain     3- 1
4th: Suede Wright, Rite Of Passage     2- 2
5th: Roman Wright, Eureka     1- 2
6th: Matt Webster, Silver Stage     0- 3

State info:

The 2010 NIAA Class 2A, 3A & 4A Nevada State High School Wrestling Championships – presented by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Farmers Insurance Group, and sponsored by the Ultimate Fighting Championship – are scheduled to be contested Friday, February 19 and Saturday, February 20 at the UNLV Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

For driving directions and other general arena information, please visit this web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox_Pavilion or this web site: http://www.unlvtickets.com. The Cox Pavilion is located at the corners of Tropicana and Swenson, next door to the Thomas & Mack Center, just northeast of the McCarran Int’l Airport’s main entrance.

The Class 2A and 3A state wrestling brackets will be completed by NIAA personnel as per NIAA Wrestling Policy Manual mandates. The preliminary state brackets, which include general seeding designations, are posted on the www.niaa.com wrestling page. The official state brackets, by individual weight class, will be published Sunday evening. The link to all Class 2A and 3A state brackets will be posted on the www.niaa.com wrestling page.

02/13/2010, BB results amp; State info »»

Friday, 2/12/10, games:

Girls BB

Incline 55, Silver Stage 27
S. Stage 5 7 6 9 — 27
Incline 8 17 8 22 — 55
SILVER STAGE (3-7)
Ralph 2 0-3 4, Gramloini 1 1-3 4, Smallwood 5 0-2 12, Garrett 2 0-0 4, Senour 0 1-2 1, Doiel 0 2-2 2, Hoopes 0 0-1 0. Totals: 10 4-13 27. 3-pointers: Gramloini, Smallwood 2. Fouls: 24. Fouled Out: Hoopes. Technicals: none.
INCLINE (7-3, 11-12)
Cherry 4 2-7 10, Hanna 0 1-2 1, Riva 0 4-6 4, Wilson 3 0-0 7, Murray 2 0-2 4, O’Connor 3 0-0 6, Severance 1 4-6 6, Sanchez 3 0-2 7, Wright 3 4-7 10. Totals: 19 15-32 55. 3-pointers: Wilson, Sanchez. Fouls: 15. Fouled Out: none. Technicals: none.

Boys BB

Incline 90, Silver Stage 54
Incline 25 23 26 16 — 90
Silver Stage 8 15 16 15 — 54
Incline (22-3, 11-1)
Ma. Corneil 0 2-2 2, Ceragioli 4 8-13 18, Mi. Corneil 5 2-2 15, Davis 2 0-0 5, Hillman 2 0-0 4, Whitt 9 0-3 21, Howe 2 0-3 5, Dykstra 5 6-10 16, Lee 0 2-4 4. Totals; 30 20-35 90. 3-pointers: Mi. Corneil 3, Whitt 3, Ceragioli 2, Davis 1 Howe 1. Total Fouls: 14. Fouled Out: None. Technicals: None.
Silver Stage (9-13, 4-8)
Schilling 6 3-4 17, Staggs 2 0-0 5, McDonald 6 3-6 17, Vonlinsway 3 0-0 6, Swope 1 0-0 2, Gillenwater 3 0-3 7. Totals: 15 6 6-3 54. 3-pointers: Shilling 2, McDonald 2, Staggs 1, Gillenwater 1. Total Fouls; 23. Fouled Out: None. Technicals: None.

Onward to state:

BOYS REGIONAL SEEDING

Northern 4A
1. Reno
4. Galena
2. Douglas
3. McQueen
2. Hug
3. Carson
1. Manogue
4. North Valleys

Northern 3A
1. Sparks
2. Lowry
3. Spring Creek
4. Yerington
5. Dayton
6. Fernley

Northern 2A
1. Incline
2. ROP
3. Battle Mountain
4. Pershing County
5. Silver Stage
6. Whittell

Northern 1A
1. Mineral County
4. Jackpot
2. Owyhee
3. Virginia City
2. Smith Valley
3. Eureka
1. McDermitt
4. Coleville

GIRLS REGIONAL SEEDING

Northern 4A
1. Reno
4. Douglas or Fallon
2. Reed
3. Carson
2. Bishop Manogue
3. North Valleys
1. Galena
4. Hug

Northern 3A
1. Spring Creek
2. Lowry
3. Truckee
4. Dayton
5. Yerington
6. Fernley

Northern 2A
1. Pershing County
2. Incline
3. Battle Mountain
4. Silver Stage

Northern 1A
1. Virginia City
4. Wells
2. Coleville
3. McDermitt
2. Owyhee
3. Pyramid Lake
1. Eureka
4. Smith Valley

For complete schedule of games, please visit the NIAA website.

IB Program

03/03/2010, IB: Supporters launch website, will form nonprofit »»

Residents in support of International Baccalaureate announced this week the forming of a nonprofit group to gather funds to helps its implementation in Incline's public schools.

According to a Tuesday press release from Incline resident Nancy Dey Porten, International Baccalaureate Incline Village (IBIV) is partnering with Washoe County School District to achieve the goal of “80 percent of Incline Village school students taking one or more AP or IB classes before graduation.”

The website — www.ibIncline.org — launched Tuesday.

“We've had to get our ducks in a row before we starting raising funds in earnest,” said Incline resident and IBIV founding member Tom Bruno. “When you approach individuals about donating to a cause, you need to demonstrate you have all the different components properly in place to be able to achieve your goals.”

Bruno continued: “We are serious about affording Incline students an all-around strong educational experience. Programs such as music, foreign language, the arts and athletics may need financial help from time to time, and my hope is that IBIV can provide that.”

Incline resident Nathan Hamilton is another member of IBIV.

“One of the main purposes of our IBIV website ... is to provide accurate and current information about IB in relations to our schools,” Hamilton said in the press release. “There has been a lot of speculation and misinformation about IB in the community, which we would like to clear up.”

Raising funds

The group is in the process of establishing itself as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Bruno said.

“We aren't in a position to reveal what we have raised to this point because we haven't fully pursued the fundraising portion,” Bruno said. “Once we've formed the nonprofit, have our website in order we can launch efforts to raise money.”

According to recent reports, WCSD Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez estimates the district will need an additional $150,000 for the upcoming year to cover the cost of two additional teacher allocations and application fees. The second year the district will need $210,000 for teacher allocations and fees associated with curriculum implementation.

Gary Lee announced during the Feb. 4 WCSD community seminar that residents had raised $75,000 at that point.

02/12/2010, Bonanza editorial: taking the first step to fixing a problem »»

The first step in healing broken relationships — and the hardest step — is admitting there is a fixable problem. The Washoe County School District took that first step this week by announcing it would slow down and attack the implementation of International Baccalaureate at Incline's schools the right way — by starting at the beginning and not, as has become a popular phrase in this community, putting the cart before the horse.

"We admit we originally had it backward,” Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez told us on Tuesday. “Frankly, the public was right. The district realized it needed to slow down.”

Somewhere between the summer and winter 2009, the school district dropped the ball by:

A. Keeping its staff (the teachers) aware of every step of the implementation process; and

B. Informing parents of changes and challenges to come. Accusations of transfer threats and an inability to listen to teacher concerns certainly did nothing to improve the district's image, or improve the critical relationship between parents and administrators.

Now that the biggest step is out of the way, we expect all sides to be equally accountable for communicating, meaning the district must prioritize communication, and for the parents and faculty to be actively involved in that work. The district already has promised to host many community forums similar to last week's — a good start indeed — and we hope this is a pattern to be repeated through every major change within the district.

We still feel IB is a prized catch for our school system, and, given time, will raise what really has become embarrassing graduation rates for Incline's schools — especially with Latino students. Given Nevada's pathetic standing in national education (yes, we are dead last), the fact we have an opportunity to change locally and become an example for the entire state should be embraced wholeheartedly. But success depends on communication done the right way, which now, after much consternation, is occurring.

02/04/2010, IB Underway in Incline »»

02/02/2010, Give International Baccalaureate a chance »»

Inspired by Janet Usinger's letter last week and by many conversations with parents, students, and teachers in our community, I would like to offer two additional insights about the proposed implementation of the International Baccalaureate in Incline Village.

These are based on 12 years of study and research in the area of transformative learning and change (masters and doctoral levels) and my experiences of guiding my two children through four different school systems (starting in Tokyo).

The first insight is that change is a universal, unavoidable given; all living systems including humans and our social systems are inherently evolving through increasing degrees of order, complexity, creativity and consciousness. This is most evident in the accelerating pace of technology change even as individuals and our social systems struggle to integrate and adapt (as the crises in financial and other sectors have vividly demonstrated).

As a key factor in any nations' ability to evolve gracefully lies in the education of the youth, we have ample evidence that US students are underperforming those in European and Asian countries. I believe Incline Village is very fortunate to have the opportunity to lead the shift to the next evolution of public education that is needed to keep up with the pace of world change. We are truly fortunate to have deep IB experience and support from our new Washoe County Superintendent and Deputy as well as experienced help from the IB program implementers and directors at Wooster High School.

My second insight regards the true intention of education: “to educate” comes from the word “to educe”; to elicit, evoke, bring forth from within. Education ideally inspires every student's passion for self-directed learning that continues to thrive throughout their lifetime.

Some parents in Incline are concerned that their children won't be a candidate for the IB diploma and therefore won't benefit from it or may even be hurt by its' implementation. Firstly, with a full implementation from K to 12 as proposed by the County, all children will experience the inherent benefits of the excellent IB curriculum program and not just those who pursue the various subject certificates (similar to Advanced Placement) or two year diploma. Secondly, schools that adopt the IB program find that more children, regardless of heritage, become inspired to learn and want to pursue the higher level courses than was formerly the case.

To achieve this shift toward true education, IB teachers play a more engaged role in individualized student support to nurture their inherent curiosity and inner passion.

While some Incline teachers have concerns about the changes required by the IB program, I hope they will give IB a chance so they can experience the highest joy in the teaching profession: helping to turn on and nurture every student's innate capacity to explore and positively impact their world – and ours.

Mary Alber is a six-year resident of Incline Village with a fifth and seventh grader at Lake Tahoe School.

02/02/2010, With International Baccalaureate, let's try to have an informative, civil dialogue »»

Sometimes I don't understand our community at all — other times I think I get a glimmer or understanding, but mostly it's a mystery to me.

It seems like we are willing to fight about anything based solely on our opinions, the opinions don't need to be informed by any facts and we don't feel very much need to listen to each other. Granted it's hard to listen when the communication is like this one: “Why don't you post-constitution Progressives go find your own country and quit wrecking ours?”

Apparently I'm something called a post-constitution (I assume this means post-Constitution rather than someone with the constitution of a post, but I'm not sure) Progressive. OK. I don't understand post-Constitution — we're all post-Constitution. That document was adopted in 1789, so anyone who was pre-Constitution would be 221 years old. Progressive? Why do people think I'll be insulted by being called something (along with Liberal, leftist, etc.) that I've said I'm proud to be. And what is the name-caller? Regressive?

Finally, why should I go find my own country, and who said this one was yours? I was born here, my parents immigrated here and I honestly believe that this is my country as much as it is “yours.” Actually, the Constitution kind of guarantees that, doesn't it?

Or the person who picked up on one small piece of personal disclosure in a column and decided that “because your Dad lost his business due to ‘change' you think workforce housing will solve the economic woes of main street???” which is nothing even related to what I said.

Case in point: the IB program. I have said repeatedly that, while I'm kind of naturally inclined to support it, I have serious questions and think a rational, fact-based dialogue is needed. Writers (mostly anonymous) online have attacked me for favoring IB (what part of “have serious questions” is not clear to you?). Just for fun, how about trying listening?

The Washoe County School District is on record favoring IB even though they won't fund it. In listening to both sides of the debate, a couple of things have become clear to me. First, very little of the debate is fact-based. Either or both sides may have facts to bolster their argument (note: “IT'S A U.N. PLOT!!!” is not a fact — it's an opinion, same for “IT WILL ATTRACT LOTS OF STUDENTS!!!”), neither brings them to bear in what dialogue there has been. Second, no one is listening to anyone who is not on their side. Third, a genuine dialogue, including people listening to each other, is desperately needed.

As I mentioned in a previous column and as was announced in the paper last week, the Bonanza has proposed to sponsor a forum for that dialogue. The ground rules of the forum will be that all presentations by panelists must be based on citable facts and that audience questions will be screened to ensure that they are requests for information, not arguments for a position. The original date for the forum, Feb. 9, is now in question due to conflicts with the elementary school's science fair, but if we can get the panelists, it will happen sooner rather than later.

I guess the question is what do both sides want? Do they want to defeat the other side or to inform the community? The way it looks now is that we are going to have IB in any case — the school district has approved it and the money has been raised or is close to being raised. So as a community, do we want this to be one more bone of contention dividing us or do we want to really look at what it could do and what it is that professional educators find so valuable in it?

Of course, we can all decide that we know better than the experts in any case and don't have to listen to them — after all, we pay them to educate our children — that means we're smarter than they are, right? After all, isn't the golden rule “he who has the gold, rules?”

Let's try to have an informative, civil dialogue. Whaddaya say?

Ed Gurowitz has a doctorate in psychology and is a management consultant. He has lived in Incline Village since 1995 and is active in the Democratic Party. His columns can be found at www.egurowitz.blogspot.com, and he is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and tahoeticker.com. He can be reached for comment at egurowitz@gurowitz.com.

01/27/2010, WCSD Incline IB Discussion Meeting 4-Feb »»

01/20/2010, District Appoints Project Manager for IB »»

Reno, Nev., (January 29, 2010) - - To ensure the smooth implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in the Incline Village schools, the Washoe County School District announced today that it has appointed Serena Robb as project manager. Robb, a veteran administrator in the WCSD, was the principal at Wooster High School in Reno when that school successfully launched its IB program. “The district wanted an individual with a deep commitment to the IB program and someone with the ‘feet-on-the-ground’ experience to see this through to a successful completion,” said Pedro Martinez, Deputy Superintendent. “I cannot think of anyone better to spearhead this effort, so we coaxed Serena out of retirement to head this important project. She will be our primary representative as we move forward,” Martinez added.

Robb’s career with the WCSD began in 1971. She has served as a speech therapist, counselor, assistant principal and principal at both Wooster High School and Damonte Ranch High School. She retired in 2005 after successfully opening Damonte Ranch. Each summer from 1986 to 1992, she administered a program at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York to acquaint high school students with life on a college campus.

“I know first-hand what it takes to move an IB program from concept to full implementation and I am more than pleased that the district has asked me to undertake this initiative. I’ve seen what the program can do for a school and for students. I’m excited to begin working with teachers, administrators, students, parents and the community to get everyone headed in the same direction,” Robb said. “I have already begun to talk to the staff at the three schools, and I’ll continue that over the next week or two,” she added.

Robb also noted that following those staff conversations, she’ll plan a series of community seminars later in February.

Martinez said, “The school district is committed to this effort and to making Incline Village schools one the best K-12 campuses in the nation. IB is one way to that, and I am confident we’ll be successful because already have such great teachers at all three schools and a solid Advanced Placement program at the high school. All of this helps lay the groundwork.”

###

About Washoe County School District: The Washoe County School District includes the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area, Incline Village, Gerlach, Empire and Wadsworth, Nevada. The District provides each of its 64,000 students with a superior education in a safe and challenging environment and is committed to graduate every child career and college ready.

For more information visit: www.washoecountyschools.org. Follow us on Twitter at WCSDTweet.

01/06/2010, Wooster IB program helps make tough colleges easier »»

Fifty-one students who completed the International Baccalaureate program at Wooster High School last spring received diplomas Tuesday during the 11th annual award ceremony at the school.

Students in Wooster's 2009 IB class scored an average of 1886 on SATs and an average 29 on ACTs and had a grade-point average of 3.718 on a scale of 4.

The program was started at Wooster in 1997 with eight students and has grown to about 350 this year, said Daryl DiBitonto, Wooster IB diploma coordinator since 2003.

"The IB program is recognized as a world-class college preparatory program," DiBitonto said. "Students are challenged to become independent inquirers through a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes the global nature of learning."

Graduates of Wooster's IB program have been admitted to some of the top universities in the country, including Brown, Cornell, Duke, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Purdue, the University of Southern California, U.S. Naval Academy, Vassar and Yale.

For most graduates, the program makes the toughest schools easier.

"(The program) has made college so much easier than what I see my classmates handling," said Jillian Baker, 18, a freshman at the University of Nevada, Reno. "I know how to study and take notes, I can write a four-page paper in one night, and it's no big deal."

"And mainly just time management. I can balance academics and a social life."

Ben Degn, 19, an engineering student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz., said the program helped him with study habits.

"It has helped me keep on top of the homework load and classes and how to absorb and understand the new material," he said.

Juniors and seniors are in IB classes, with freshman and sophomores earmarked to take pre-IB courses, DiBitonto said. The older students said those new to the program might find the challenge overwhelming.

"There'll be times when you want to quit, but they should stick with it," Baker said. "You meet some really amazing people in the program, and you form lifelong friendships."

Anna Louie, 18, a student at Brown University in Rhode Island, said that students should expect to work hard but will learn valuable tools and information.

"People help each other, support each other, and I think that's the best thing a high school can be," Louie said.

Wooster is one of only three high schools in Nevada offering the IB diploma program, with Valley High in Las Vegas and Green Valley High in Henderson. There are 1,071 schools in the United States on all grade levels and 2,816 worldwide, according to IBO.org.

An all-grade IB program is the goal at the three Incline Village schools to improve the performance of a large Hispanic student population, especially in languages.

The Incline High School program starts in the fall using $40,000 from the high school's booster fund and $5,000 from the former Washoe County schools superintendent's discretionary funds.

Training for the Incline Village teachers began during the summer and will continue through the year, with other elements of the program to be added through 2012.

Additional Facts

What is the IB program?

The International Baccalaureate program began in 1968 in Switzerland, where the not-for-profit foundation is based, as a way for diplomats to ensure their children had access to standardized education no matter where their parents were stationed.
The IB program's rigorous coursework helps prepare student for success in college. Courses are designed to increase students' critical thinking skills, improve time management and develop writing skills.

How to apply:

Wooster High School allows students from all the Washoe County School District middle and high school students to apply for the International Baccalaureate. The enrollment begins in March. To find out more, call Daryl DiBitonto at 775-321-5025.

For more information or if you have questions on the Incline High School IB program, please contact the school at 832-4260.

11/18/2009, IB Newsletter, Nov 2009 »»

Superintendent Morrison Visits Incline Village

On September 28th, Washoe County School District Superintendent, Dr. Heath Morrison, spoke at the Chateau and repeated the District’s commitment to the successful implementation of International Baccalaureate in Incline Village. Dr. Morrison came to WCSD with extensive IB experience in his previous position in Montgomery County, MD, and is making a concerted effort to help the community and administrators transition to IB smoothly.

Fund Raising Continues

To date, $67,080 in cash has been raised, with an additional $69,500 committed towards annual contributions. In October, the community pulled together the over $20,000 needed to send teachers and administrators from all three Incline schools to IB training this fall and winter. When this school year’s training season wraps up in late January, we will have paid for 35 people to be IB trained!

This is quite an accomplishment, but our work is not yet over. We still need to find the funding to train a handful of people from Incline High School next summer and to cover the approximate $12,000 price tag associated with training every single educator at Incline Elementary next August, a welcomed requirement by the International Baccalaureate Organization. Please spread the word that now is the time to donate, large or small. We cannot proceed with the IB-IV dream without the community’s financial support. For those of you who have already contributed, thank you! We would not be this far in the process without your generosity.

Jeni Cross is currently working with District officials on the submittal of our first grant request to take place in January. We will keep you posted on our success or failure to secure any money through this avenue. If you happen to know of any grants for which we might qualify or would like to help look for grants, please contact Jeni Cross at jcross@washoe.k12.nv.us.

District Support

Despite the District’s inability to help us with training and application fees, we are pleased that they have supplied substitute teachers and help with grants, as well as paid for postage and required publications. Additionally, we were delighted to learn that Mr. Rick Harris located grant monies to send key people to the regional IB conference in San Diego. In attendance were Kathleen Watty, K-8 Principal; Sharon Kennedy, IMS Site Administrator; Kevin Taylor, Assistant Principal of Incline High; and Jeni Cross, IHS IB Coordinator Designate. CAWS, the California Association of World Schools, which also advocates and networks for and with the Nevada and Hawaii IB World Schools, hosts one-day conferences biannually. Coordinators, administrators and superintendents from around the region were present, and everyone who attended reported back that the networking they were able to do was highly valuable. Current Status of the School Authorizations

Incline High School submitted Application A, the first of two applications and their $8,500 fee, in October. At the end of January, we will have sent our teachers and Mr. Taylor to 17 workshops! We hope to accomplish the remaining five in summer 2010. However, in order to proceed to Application B, more funding must be acquired to show stability for the first three to five years. We will host the Site Visit next fall, followed by authorization to begin the DP in the fall of 2011. Incline Elementary and Middle Schools are, and will continue to be as teacher training progresses, in a trial Implementation Phase required by IB before filing the applications. By late January of 2010, we will have sent seven teachers and Ms. Watty to training for the Primary Years Programme, while nine teachers and Ms. Kennedy from IMS will have attended the Middle Years Programme conferences. When the compulsory three- to five-year funding is secured (approximately an additional $80,000 to $100,000), Application A at each of the schools will be submitted. Please note that application fees have gone up to $9,500 for schools starting the process in 2010.

December 2 Meeting for Diploma Programme

On Wednesday, December 2nd, Incline High School will host a meeting for parents of seventh through ninth grade students and their prospective IB Diploma Candidate children in the theatre at 5:30-6:30 p.m. During this meeting, school officials will discuss the specifics of the DP program, what it entails for all those involved, what our program may look like, and how to plan and prepare for becoming a candidate. This is an exciting time for both those living in Incline and even those living outside our area. Jeni Cross has been contacted by educators and students interested in our IB plans!

IB-IV in the News

Look for what should be a fantastic article about our three IB programmes in a future issue of Washoe Parent magazine. Jeni Cross is currently wrapping up the interview with the writer and believes that the piece will raise the awareness of Incline being the ONLY IB continuum in the area. We are the “Education Destination” at the Lake!

Once Again

Please spread the word that IB-IV needs everyone’s help to make our K-12 IB continuum a reality. Please keep us in mind for any 2009 charitable contributions as the year ends. Investments in Incline Village education can be sent to the following address and remember to mark “IB” in the memo area of your check. Remember that IB’s curriculum and methodology will be a benefit to ALL our students and has already begun to attract new students to Incline schools. In return, it is our hope that more homes will be sold and local businesses patronized. IB’s real benefit is to all of us.

Incline Schools Academic Excellence Foundation (ISAEF)/IB Program
P.O. Box 4153
Incline Village, NV 89450

09/23/2009, Donations to the IB Program »»

09/23/2009, ISAEF voices support for IB »»

09/23/2009, Important Community IB Meeting Monday, Sept. 28, 6:30pm, the Chateau! »»

08/30/2009, Morrison and Borba meet in Incline on IB Program »»

08/21/2009, Back To School »»

08/21/2009, Local IB Expert Encourages Incline »»

Prep Sports

03/08/2010, Final NIAA realignment vote expected Wednesday »»

03/04/2010, Incline basketball: Coach reflects on championship season; Witt, Ceragioli voted Players of the Year »»

03/03/2010, Incline Nordic racing: Swick, Kwasney one-two punch leads girls to state title »»

02/28/2010, Incline rides team effort to first state hoops title in 20 years, Tahoe's first in 18 »»

02/27/2010, Incline High School topples Lincoln County to win first state hoops title in 20 years »»

02/26/2010, Incline tops Needles, advances to Saturday state title showdown with Lincoln County »»

02/26/2010, Incline basketball: Highlanders prepare for today's state semifinal in Reno »»

02/24/2010, Rare Jordan: Incline senior 'feels pretty good' about winning fourth straight Nevada wrestling title »»

02/24/2010, Alpine ski racing: Grace Dolan wins state slalom title, ties for overall »»

02/24/2010, Alpine ski racing: Grace Dolan wins slalom state title, ties for overall »»

02/22/2010, Incline wrestling: Three Highlanders win state titles, Cronin earns fourth straight »»

02/22/2010, Incline basketball: Boys beat ROP for Northern 2A title »»

02/22/2010, Incline basketball: Boys qualify for state, girls fall in regional semis »»

02/17/2010, Incline basketball: Girls earn No. 3 playoff seed, face tough Battle Mountain squad »»

02/17/2010, Incline basketball: Boys prepped for playoffs after punishing Silver Stage »»

General Schools

03/10/2010, Sierra Nevada College presents Multicultural COLLABORATIVE »»

sierra nevada college PRESENTS

multicultural COLLABORATIVE... highlighting the cultural diversity of the college community through music, food, dance, art, storytelling, and more

Anime Demonstration & Film Viewing Tuesday, March 23rd | 6:30-8:30pm | TCES 139

Learn about the animation technique of anime. Often highly stylized, this Japanese art form has gained widespread popularity in the U.S. and around the world. Chris Lanier, SNC Assistant Professor of Digital Art, will screen Director Satoshi Kon’s Paprika (2006), and speak to the boundless imaginative possibilities of animation.

Suitable for high school +

Italian Film Viewing & Discussion Wednesday, March 24th | 6:30-8:30pm | TCES 139

Italian cinema has captivated movie-going audiences for decades. Marco Ciafarone, an Italian student from the University of L’Aquila, will guide viewers through the 1995 Academy Awards nominee for Best Picture Il Postino. This romantic comedy tells the story of Mario, a bumbling mailman who is madly in love but too shy to share his true feelings. With the help of the exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, Mario accomplishes the impossible. Rated PG, this film is 108 minutes and is shown in Italian with English subtitles.

Suitable for high school +

Fireside Chat with Panel Discussion Thursday, March 25th | 7-9pm | TCES 139

Join host Andy Whyman and panelists Dr. Atam Lalchandani and Atul Minocha (M.B.A., Yale University and SNC Adjunct Professor) as they tackle topics related to “India As a Global Powerhouse.” Uniquely qualified to expound on this complex subject, both Lalchandani and Minocha have over 25 years of problem-solving experience related to the high-tech industry and government, global business development, and financial analysis. Refreshments will be served.

This ongoing series is a concept that grew out of the Seniors Conversation Café and represents a partnership between Sierra Nevada College and the IVGID Senior Programs.

Suitable for high school +

The SNC Cultural Festival Saturday, March 27th | 11am-3pm | Patterson Hall

This rich and vibrant celebration of the strengths of SNC’s diverse communities – the cultures, languages, and histories – creates a family-friendly festival for all.

Culinary Samplings - $1 ticket per taste

Come sample Native American cuisine, as well as food prepared by students from Vietnam – Nepal – Italy – Sweden – Japan – Mexico – South Africa – Korea.

Multicultural Entertainment | Live Music & Dancers
From Japan – Mexico – China – Peru – South America

Cultural Activities & Exhibits
Henna Tattoos – Origami – Buddhist Prayer Flags – Piñata – Global Storybook Reading sponsored by the Lake Tahoe School and the Incline Village Public Library

The 2010 Multicultural Collaborative Cookbook will be available for sale, with proceeds benefiting the SNC International Club.

This event is open to the public and free unless otherwise specified.

03/10/2010, Lake Tahoe Science Expo »»

03/09/2010, UNR planetarium needs votes to put star shows on the road »»

Because some Washoe County schools are finding it difficult to afford transportation for field trips, the Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center is seeking a $50,000 grant from the PepsiCo beverage company to create a mobile exhibit.

Johanna Bell, planetarium exhibits coordinator and business manager, said votes can be cast on the PepsiCo Web site for the science center. The 10 agencies with the most votes will receive the grants.

"There's hundreds of different organizations we're competing with," Bell said. "You can vote once a day until March 31.

"Right now, we're 149th, so we really need to step up."

She said the money would enable the center to buy a portable planetarium dome, projector and new star shows, so pupils don't have to travel to the University of Nevada, Reno campus for field trips.

"And we're the only science outreach K-12 in Northern Nevada," she said. "We have school field trips from all over Washoe County, the surrounding counties in Northern Nevada and from Northern California as well."

It costs $100 a day to rent a school bus in Washoe County, district spokesman Steve Mulvenon said.

"Schools are not given district money for field trips, there's not a line item in their budget for that" Mulvenon said. "So, (schools) do all kind of creative fundraisers. Sometimes, it's done on a school level. Sometimes, it's an individual teacher that wants to schedule a field trip for something."

Bringing the exhibit to school sites "is a good idea" because students wouldn't lose as much instruction time, he said.

The planetarium's mobile exhibit would have an inflatable dome and the same kind of projection and program as at UNR, Bell said.

"So, we can set it up in the cafeteria or gym, or even outdoors, depending on the weather or if they have access to electricity," she said.

How to help

To help the Fleischmann Planetarium get a $50,000 grant, visit www.refresheverything.com, search for "Fleischmann Planetarium" and click on the box that comes up on the site. One vote can be entered each day. March 31 is the deadline.

For more information, call the planetarium at 775-784-4812.

03/05/2010, Preston Field meeting »»

03/04/2010, District may pursue federal school funds »»

President Barack Obama on Monday offered an incentive of $900 million in grants to school districts that radically change the strategy to improve or shutter their worst performing schools.

In his speech, Obama said states would be asked to identify schools that perform at persistently low levels, with graduation rates of 60 percent or less.

The other requirement is that schools meet the threshold for a Title 1 school, which is 75 percent of a student body meeting poverty criteria.

It appears that none of the district's high schools would qualify under this criteria, but that six or seven schools in the district would be eligible if approved by the government, Superintendent Heath Morrison said.

"The state's list isn't final yet, it's being vetted by the federal government," Morrison said. "But we might be able to get $5 million to $7 million to do some pretty amazing things with six or seven of our schools.

"The other side of that is that there are some pretty strict requirements to get that money," he said.

To qualify, however, for the School Turnaround Grants, he said, the school districts must agree to pursue at least one of four measures: firing the principal and at least half the staff of a troubled school; reopening it as a charter school; or closing the school altogether and transferring students to better schools in the district.

A fourth measure offered under the president's plan fits more closely with some elements of the school district's strategic plan overhaul now under way.

The final alternative to qualify for the money would be to bolster teacher effectiveness, instruction, learning, teacher planning time and operational flexibility.

"Any of those scenarios would require removal of the principal," Morrison said.

The district's principals were briefed on the grant program last week by Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez and grants coordinator Kristen McNeill.

Morrison said that the principals at schools that might be on the list have been notified and that they all have said they would do what was best for their schools.

"They've all said this hurts, that they were doing their best, but if it means not going after that money, that we have to do that for their school," Morrison said. "And that's leadership. to me."

Obama already included in last year's economic stimulus bill $3.5 billion to help low-performing schools.

The administration also is putting $50 million into dropout prevention strategies, including personalized and individual instruction and support to keep students engaged and using data to identify students at risk.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

03/04/2010, Annual SnowFest events include fun jam, parade »»

SnowFest, the celebration of all things winter in North Lake Tahoe and Truckee, starts Friday and is scheduled to run through March 14.

While an extensive listing of events is posted at www.tahoesnowfestival.com, here are a few of the larger ones scheduled for this weekend.

Opening night ceremonies: Head to Squaw Valley USA at 6:30 p.m. Friday to see the sky light up with a laser show, torch light parade and fireworks.
The North Tahoe Firefighter's Association pancake breakfast is scheduled from 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Tahoe City Fire Station, 300 N. Lake Blvd. People 12 and older are $7, 5 to 12 are $4, and children younger than 5 are free. Proceeds benefit the North Tahoe Firefighter's Association.
Participate in the amateur TransWorld Snowboard TransAm fun jam at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort on Saturday. Registration starts at 8 a.m. A minipark will be loaded with features brought to riders by Oakley, DaKine, Giro and more. Details: www.transam.transworld.net.
Toyota's Sick-n-Twisted Freestyle Tour Rail Jam will be at Sugar Bowl Resort on Saturday. Register between 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Details: www.snowbomb.com.
Tahoe City's Snowfest parade starts at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Parking is limited because the main road will be closed, so park on the edge of town. Details: www.visittahoecity.com.
Boreal Mountain Resort's Snowfest is scheduled from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and features the live music of the Truckee Tribe. Raffle prizes include two snowboards.
The Gar Woods annual polar bear swim is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Gar Woods, 5000 North Lake Blvd., Carnelian Bay. Participants compete in a swimming race in Lake Tahoe. Hundreds gather to watch. The cost is $35 to register the day of the event. Details: 530-546-3366.
The 33rd annual Great Ski Race for cross-country skiers is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Sunday at the Tahoe Cross Country Center in Tahoe City. The cost for adults is $45. The event is a fundraiser for the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team. Details: www.thegreatskirace.com.
Wacky Winter Human Bowling is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Tahoe City Golf Course behind the Bank of America in Tahoe City. People on saucers take out as many blown-up bowling pins as they can. Helmets required. Saucers provided. Registration is at 10 a.m. Details: www.visittahoecity.com or 530-583-3348.
Tahoe City Golf Course's third annual dog pull is scheduled to start at noon on Sunday. Watch a variety of dogs pull on a 75-foot-long snow track. Cost: $20 entry fee. Some proceeds will benefit the Pet Network of Incline Village. Details: tcgc@sbcglobal.net
Try foods from around the world in this free contest scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Mamasake Patio at the Village at Squaw Valley. Details: www.mamasake.com or 530-584-0110.

03/04/2010, Washoe school district settles discrimination complaint »»

The civil rights office of the U.S. Department of Education has ruled the Washoe County School District discriminated against disabled students by paying their families less for transportation than was paid to non-disabled students who were eligible for mileage costs.

Under a settlement reached last week, the district agreed to pay its standard mileage rate to families of disabled students and reimburse parents for previous shortfalls.

The school board is scheduled to vote March 23 on the policy change.

Steve Mulvenon, district spokesman, said the inequity should have been resolved a long time ago. He speculated that while standard mileage rates had been automatically adjusted upward over the years, district officials neglected to do the same with the rates for disabled students covered by a separate policy.

Advocates for disabled children said the district declined to settle the matter internally, and that's why a federal civil rights complaint was filed.

The rates

Disabled students had been allowed 18 cents a mile for one round-trip a day, an effective rate of 9 cents a mile for parents who dropped off students in the morning and picked up them up in the afternoon, while district employees and families of non-disabled students who were eligible for reimbursement were paid 50 cents per mile for two round trips per day.

The Education Department ruled that the district violated the law because it "failed to provide educational and related services free of cost to the parents of these disabled students" and "failed to provide these students with a free appropriate education."

The complaint was filed by parents of disabled students assisted by the Center for Self Determination, Children's Advocacy Project of Reno.

Reaction

"This complaint goes to the culture of the district in that it treats disabled students in a lesser kind of way than it treats non-disabled students and employees," said Deidre Hammon of the Advocacy Project. "The ruling only affected the 2007-08 school year, but we've had 10 years of this policy in Washoe County."

Hammon said the family who initially complained about the policy was required to transport their child to school because the district wanted to avoid the expense of the handicapped bus service.

"The parents were driving the child to school for the convenience of the district, and then the district paid that family less than it paid others," she said.

6 families affected

She said six families will receive reimbursement, but many more families were affected over the past decade. "It's not a lot of money, but it's a matter of equal treatment," she said.

Families are eligible for mileage when the district is unable or unwilling to provide transportation for students.

03/04/2010, Susan Dugan, wife of former Washoe schools chief, succumbs to Alzheimer's »»

03/04/2010, Washoe school trustees must cut spending by up to $34 million »»

Washoe County school trustees will begin Tuesday deciding how to reduce spending by $32 million to $34 million, after legislators cut money for education during the special session that ended Monday morning.

The 6.9 percent reduction by lawmakers means $16 million to $17 million lost to the district, which also faces shrinking local tax support and enrollments and $7 million in contracted teacher raises.

Superintendent Heath Morrison said he can no longer keep budget cuts out of the classroom and that “huge chunks” have to be found to close the budget gap.

Ultimately, he said, it will mean fewer people and/or less compensation.

“We’re looking at saving $2 million in cuts to central services,” he said. “We have to identify which people, which programs and how many people could be retiring. But it’s going to be significant.”

He said that includes school administrations and support staff.

Morrison said adding one student to each class from kindergarten to 12th grade saves $6 million but would trim about 110 teachers.

“Theoretically, let’s say we wanted to deal with part of our budget shortfall by adding two students to each K-12 classroom, then that would be $12 million of the $34 million,” Morrison said. “But that also means potentially 220 teachers, or 175 teachers and X number of support staff.”

Salary reductions would require negotiations with employee bargaining units, Morrison said.

“If we wanted to entertain anything other than increasing class size, which would mean a reduction in force, then we’d have to go to our employee associations and ask for their contracts to be negotiated,” he said. “Then maybe we could address how we deal with a $34 million shortfall with some class size increases, some workforce reductions in other areas and some salary concessions.”

Washoe Education Association President Ken Buhrmann said after the special session that it was unlikely there would be new jobs for teachers and that “we will be very fortunate to avoid layoffs of those teachers on standard contracts.”

On the subject of salary concessions, “We will be in talks with the district and we will do what needs to be done,” he said. “I don’t want to say anything at this point of what we are going to do. I need to sit across the table from Dr. Morrison and talk about this.”

Trustees expect to hear more details of the options Tuesday and will offer direction based on the core mission of a strategic plan being developed.

“We’re going to look at the priorities of the strategic plan and that’s how we’re going to align the budget,” school board President Estela Gutierrez said. “We want to make sure we do our homework. We want to make sure we look at efficiencies and basically look at every aspect.

“What’s really frustrating is how do we project for the next five years?” she said. “So we pretty much have to be conservative.”

Despite budget constraints, officials are determined to forge ahead with the mission of improving student performance.

“At this point we haven’t ruled anything out,” Trustee Barbara Clark said. “But as far as our situation, something is just going to have to give.”

If You Go

What: Washoe County School Board meeting
When: 2:30 - 8 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Central Administration Building board room
425 E. Ninth St., Reno

03/02/2010, Adventure, Risk, Challenge a dynamic program for local children »»

For the past few years, I have had the privilege of working with some of the most dynamic and inspirational young people I have ever met. Year after year, participants in the ARC (Adventure, Risk, Challenge) Program amaze me with their courage, determination and commitment to their future, their family and their community.

ARC is a program for EL (English Language Learner) high school students that combines summer leadership and literacy immersions in the outdoors with year-round mentoring and academic support. Working with students who lack access to enrichment of any kind, ARC has guided 80 percent of its graduates to pursue some form of higher education, a remarkable outcome for this population.

As part of their work, ARC participants prepare video essays on topics of concern to our community. This year's video essays will be presented by the kids at ARC's annual Food for Thought Tamale Dinner on March 13, 2010, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the North Tahoe Boys & Girls Club.

ARC participants' video essays are the result of the students' actively exploring and examining their personal lives, their families and their neighborhoods to identify issues that directly affect them and their community. Over the course of the project, as students have explored critical concerns within our community, they have generated a rich collection of stories and have developed multiple literacy skills using digital media tools to express their voice and content through writing text and incorporating sound, images and graphics.

EL high school students in the Tahoe/Truckee region have a multitude of obstacles to overcome: they have identified literacy gaps, come from families living below the poverty line, and in many ways live in the margins of our community. They lack access to local resources due to language, transportation and economic barriers. Many of their parents lack formal education, are ill-equipped to support their children's learning at home and cannot help their children navigate the public school system. This results in academic failure, making higher education opportunities inaccessible. Students who fail high school lack incentive to further their learning through vocational or academic training, and have little chance for self-sufficiency. Essentially, there is no pathway to living-wage careers that could ultimately break the cycle of poverty for the next generation.

ARC began in 2004 to address these significant barriers with a curriculum that incorporates the study of self, family and community action, gearing participants toward meaningful civic contributions as they transition into adulthood. ARC links wilderness to academics, adventure to leadership, environmental science to literacy and confidence to activism.

Like most programs of its type, ARC is continuously raising funds, both from foundations and from local sources. Events like the tamale dinner help, but they're not sufficient — if you or someone you know wants to support this worthwhile program, let me know and I'll see they contact you.

The food at this dinner is great — homemade tamales, rice and beans, as well as soft drinks will be served at the dinner, with all proceeds benefiting the program.

Tamales can be ordered (by the dozen) in advance by visiting the ARC website (www.arcprogram.org) and downloading an order form. ARC participants have requested guests bring two cans of food to support Project MANA, and in return, they will receive a free drink. The students also will be collecting spare change to send to Haiti. Immediately following dinner, they will premiere their video essays. This event is free and open to the public. I hope to see you there.

For more information and to order your tamales, click HERE!

— Ed Gurowitz has a doctorate in psychology and is a management consultant. He has lived in Incline Village since 1995 and is active in the Democratic Party. His columns can be found at www.egurowitz.blogspot.com, and he is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and tahoeticker.com. He can be reached for comment at egurowitz@gurowitz.com.

03/02/2010, Budget Determined, District Ready to Move Ahead »»

Reno, Nev., (March 1, 2010) - - Today, nearly a week into the 26th Special Session of the Nevada Legislature, Governor Jim Gibbons announced agreement over key issues with legislators and adjourned the session. Ever since the Economic Form announced that the state was heading towards an estimated $900 million dollar shortfall five weeks ago, local business, education, and government leaders have been working hard to determine the impacts of cuts that might have to be made to balance this biennium's budget.

The Washoe County School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent Heath Morrison appreciated the Governor's and legislators' work in crafting a plan that gave school districts a clear picture of what the 6.9% cuts to K-12 education would be, as well as the flexibility to implement those cuts. Considering the amount of the budget gap, Morrison thanked and praised all branches of the government for their efforts. "It is important that the Governor and the Legislature were able to resolve differences this week and come together with a workable plan for K-12 public education. They worked to balance the competing needs of education, human services, and public safety, with the current difficulties in finding new revenue from the recession-impacted business sector and I appreciate what they have done, especially since the initial cuts were proposed to be much higher. The Governor, the legislative leadership, and key northern Nevada legislators came together to broker a deal many thought was "not possible". Two Assembly leaders from northern Nevada agreed. "I'm proud of our continuing commitment to education and that we are able to reduce the proposed cuts to K-12 education by $94 million dollars," remarked Assemblywoman Debbie Smith. "Assembly leadership has always had a great working relationship with the district, and during this very difficult process, we had an unprecedented level of collaboration." On the other side of the aisle, Minority Leader Heidi Gansert added, "After six days of hearings and testimony, we came together to responsibly fill a nearly $900 million dollar shortfall, while limiting our cut to K-12 education. Through this process, it was our intent to save as many jobs as possible and to keep class sizes reasonable." Morrison was also grateful that districts were given the flexibility to use several state funding sources to make some of these cuts in ways they believe will best serve students. Specifically he thought allowing class sizes to be increased by up to two students in grades K through 3 might be very helpful in addressing the district's budget shortfall, but he acknowledged none of these decisions would be easy, and that the cuts would affect all areas of the district, including the classroom. Flexibility was also given to districts to take money normally required to be spent on textbooks and similar materials, and apply that money to the budget shortfall as well.

During his testimony to both Houses of the Legislature, Morrison said he believed in shared sacrifice to resolve the budget shortfall, and was hopeful that funded properly, education would ultimately be the engine that would lead Nevada out of the recession and return the state to more prosperous times-a message that was well received by many as a longer-term call to action.

What does all of this mean for the Washoe County School District? The 6.9% cut equals approximately $15-17 million dollars less for the district's general fund, which supports employee salaries and the day-to-day operations of schools and district departments. This is not a new challenge. Over the last three years, the district has cut $44 million dollars from the general fund. The district's Chief Financial Officer, Gary Kraemer, has been planning for several possible scenarios, including a cut of this magnitude. "Although we already absorbed a $30 million dollar cut as part of this year's budget, conservative budgeting by the Board in previous years has kept the district lean and has allowed us to build up our reserves. We will need those reserves not only for the rest of this year and next, but also to help offset what we believe will be an even more serious problem for the 2011-2013 biennium", Kraemer said, referring to the projected $2.4 billion dollar shortfall facing the state when the Legislature convenes in February 2011.

Kraemer plans to present options to the Superintendent and Board that will continue to judiciously draw down reserves to help offset some of the cuts. However, he cautioned that this will not be easy. "Only one-third of the district's general fund budget comes from the state. Two-thirds comes from local sources. We have unfortunately experienced a decline in local property tax collections, which are a significant portion of the general fund budget." Kraemer also pointed out that these factors, declining enrollment over the last several years, and negotiated agreements with employee groups may add another $16-18 million dollars to the district's deficit, making the total cut in the neighborhood of $31-35 million dollars.

Morrison said many factors contributed to the deal agreed to between the Executive and Legislative branches. The strong, collaborative relationship between the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent and its employee associations was singled out for praise. "We are truly partners in this most critical aspect of the public good-K-12 education", Morrison said. "We work together on the complex and difficult issues that face the district all of the time and it was easy to transfer this cooperative spirit to the halls of the legislature". Morrison praised the continuing dedication of the district's employees. "These last few weeks have been unsettling for our employees. Whether they teach, drive a bus or are working on a temporary contract that will soon expire, I want to thank everyone for their hard work. They are the people that make a difference for our 63,000 children every day; they are the ones responsible for meeting every child's needs; and as our most important resource, we will do everything we can to keep them working now and in the future.

During the special session, Board of Trustee President Estela Gutierrez, other members of the Board of Trustees, and district staff maintained a constant presence in the legislative building. "We owed it to our employees, parents, and our children to meet with legislators and talk to the Governor's staff. We know that they had difficult choices to make, but we also know that our future is our children-we bear grave responsibilities to ensure they have the teachers and resources necessary for an education that prepares them for graduation, the world of work or post-secondary education, and productive lives as members of this community and state." Gutierrez said knowing what the cuts would be was the next step in the district's plan for major reform.

Currently a new comprehensive strategic plan is being developed with parent, business, staff, and community support. It will be the foundation for a wide-ranging reform effort that will focus on improving the district's graduation rate, implementing a performance management system based on measurable goals, and supporting teachers and teaching in new and innovative ways. "We will spend our time and energy on what happens in the classroom and align the rest of the district to directly support what for us is our core business-teaching and learning", she said. In the next few days Gutierrez expects that Morrison will be developing options for implementing the cuts. These options will be made public and both the Board of Trustees and Morrison will be presenting them to the community, parents, students, and staff at public meetings to obtain input before the Board adopts the final budget this May.

About Washoe County School District: The Washoe County School District includes the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area, Incline Village, Gerlach, Empire and Wadsworth, Nevada. The District provides each of its 63,000 students with a superior education in a safe and challenging environment and is committed to graduate every child career and college ready. For more information visit: www.washoecountyschools.org. Follow us on Twitter at WCSDTweet.

03/02/2010, Bike Tour Eurasia amp; other TCES events »»

BIKE TOUR EURASIA

PRESENTATION BY ALLISON ANSLEY & CHAD WILES

Date: Thursday, March 4, 2010
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Lecture begins promptly at 6:00 p.m.
Cost: Free. No-Host Bar.
Location: Assembly Rooms 139 & 141, Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village, Nevada (on the campus of Sierra Nevada College)

In the summer of 2007, Chad and Allison (both SNC graduates) began to plot a bicycle route across Eurasia. Armed with ambition, a couple of visas, and two stout bicycles they set off from the coast of China and started riding west. Six months and two days later they rode onto the beaches of the Netherlands with over 7,000 miles of Eurasian trans-cultural experiences.

From the images gathered on their small cameras they have compiled a fair representation of the delicious and disgusting, the ordinary and amazing, the lovely and repugnant, and plenty of stops in between as they lived out on the world road.

They are excited to share preparatory and logistical information as well as other practical tips so that others might feel more prepared to explore a big planet at this nice bicycling pace. They will also discuss their upcoming tour to the Black Sea region and the former Yugoslav republics.

Allison Ansley and Chad Wiles met in Tahoe ten years ago and have been venturing together ever since. Allison came into the world of cycling on the tree lined streets of Salt Lake City before moving to Tahoe in 1998. She earned a B.S. from Sierra Nevada College in 2007, and has since spent her winters exploring the mountains on skis and working with the Tahoe Cross Country Ski Education Association (T.C.C.S.E.A.).

Chad traces his velo roots to East coast single-track but found a home in Tahoe in 2000 and has since taken to the roads. He received a B.F.A from Sierra Nevada College in 2003 and, in between personal trips, currently works with T.C.C.S.E.A as well as Alaska Mountain Guides.

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS

Please join us for the various Upcoming Events (see http://terc.ucdavis.edu/calendar/index.html for details):

March 13, 2010: Trout in the Classroom and Project Aquatic WILD Workshop
March 16 - 17, 2010: Tahoe Basin Science Conference
March 31, 2010: Tapped, the movie examines the role of the bottled water industry and its' effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil
May 7, 2010: Nominations Due for Goldman Tahoe Scholarship
May 13, 2010: Health of Lake Tahoe, with Phil Caterino
June 21 - 25, 2010: Nevada Math & Science Partnership Teacher Institute
June 17, 2010: The Changing Range of Light: Climate Change in the Sierra with Bob Coats, Geoff Schladow and Elizabeth Carmel
July 10, 2010: Historic Hatchery Education Center Grand Opening and Children's Environmental Science Day, Tahoe City Field Station
August 1 - 4, 2010: Great Lakes of the World (GLOW) Conference VI
September 9, 2010: Antarctic Research, with Alison Murray

03/02/2010, Students Shine In 87th Annual Scholastic Writing Awards »»

For Immediate Release
Contact: Jill Berryman
Sierra Arts Executive Director
775.329.2787
Steve Mulvenon
775.348.0371

Reno, Nev., (March 2, 2010) - -Six local high school students, including four from the Washoe County School District, were honored last Saturday for their skills at the 87th annual Scholastic Writing Awards competition, which recognizes student achievement in creative writing. The program is jointly sponsored by the Sierra Arts Foundation, the Nevada Alliance for Arts Education and the Smith Center for Performing Arts in Las Vegas.

The ceremony took place at the Sierra Arts Gallery on February 27th. Six students were selected by a panel of regional judges based on their originality, technical skill, and emergence of a personal voice in their writing. Gold Key, Silver Key, and American Voices nominations were awarded at the event. Students receiving Gold Key awards or American Voices nominations will have their work submitted to a panel of esteemed creative professionals in New York City for award consideration at the national level.

The six 2010 Scholastic Writing awardees are:

•Teri Dobbins (Reno High School) -- Gold Key award
•Emily Hamby (Reno High School) -- Gold Key award and American Voices award
•Brendan Kilcourse (Albert M. Lowry High School) -- Silver Key award
•Sean McClelland (Incline High School) -- Gold Key award and American Voices award
•Crystal Powell (Churchill High School) -- Gold Key award and American Voices award
•Montana Routsis (TMCC Magnet High School) -- Gold Key and American Voices award

The Scholastic Writing Awards, in affiliation with The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, is the longest standing writing competition in America, and has been entered by authors such as Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, and Robert Redford. The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is a not-for-profit organization with the mission to identify, motivate and validate the next generation of artists and writers.

Works are first reviewed on the regional level by jurors recruited by 96 Regional Affiliates. Jurors on both regional and national levels will look for works that exemplify our core criteria: 1) Originality, 2) Technical Skill and 3) Emergence of a Personal Vision and Voice. The best works in each region earn Gold Keys, the Scholastic Writing Awards symbol of achievement. Gold Key works are then reviewed on the national level by esteemed creative professionals.

More than 10,000 Gold Key works will be reviewed in by judges in New York City to determine the 1,000 most accomplished young artists and writers in the nation. National Awards include Gold Medals, Silver Medals, and American Visions & Voices Medals. Selections of national award-winning work will be included in the National Student Art Exhibition and the National Catalog in June 2010. More than 50 award-winning
manuscripts will be published in The Best Teen Writing of 2010.

On the national level, $10,000 scholarships are given to 15 graduating seniors who earn Gold Medals in the Art, Photography, and General Writing and Nonfiction categories. An additional 400 seniors who earn Portfolio Silver Medals or Portfolio Gold Medals will leverage partial to full-ride scholarships from a network of 60 arts universities and institutes, which annually earmark $3.9 million in financial aid.

About Washoe County School District: The Washoe County School District includes the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area, Incline Village, Gerlach, Empire and Wadsworth, Nevada. The District provides each of its 63,000 students with a superior education in a safe and challenging environment and is committed to graduate every child career and college ready. For more information visit: www.washoecountyschools.org. Follow us on Twitter at WCSDTweet.

02/28/2010, Officials: Nevada education cuts will be 6.9 percent »»

02/27/2010, Scholastic Art Awards announced »»

All About Students

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Tel: 775-832-4260 | Fax: 775-832-4208
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499 Village Blvd., Incline Village, NV 89451

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SnowFest Queen Coronation

INCLINE 70, NEEDLES 60

LINCOLN COUNTY 100, ROP 83

Thursday, February 25 @ Lawlor Events Center, UNR

Friday, February 26 @ Lawlor Events Center, UNR

Friday, February 26 – 1A @ North Valleys H.S., Reno & 3A @ Damonte Ranch H.S.

Saturday, February 27 @ Lawlor Events Center, UNR

Top five individuals (overall) at state skiing championships

Weekly Bulletin - February 22th – February 27th

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Slalom results

State skiing: South Tahoe wins third consecutive boys championship

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UPDATE - Saturday, February 20, 2010

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Girls BB

Boys BB

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BOYS REGIONAL SEEDING

GIRLS REGIONAL SEEDING

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Superintendent Morrison Visits Incline Village

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December 2 Meeting for Diploma Programme

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6 families affected

If You Go

BIKE TOUR EURASIA

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS

The six 2010 Scholastic Writing awardees are:

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

All About Students

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Address

Upcoming at IHS